


Nothing In My Head

by gustin_puckerman



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Other, but from peter's pov, harley-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-13 14:51:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11762223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gustin_puckerman/pseuds/gustin_puckerman
Summary: Peter meets Harley, and soon learns that — despite exhibiting no power — Harley is a brand of special in his own way.





	Nothing In My Head

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing when I write this except (1) I love Harley Keener and (2) Peter and him should meet. That is all.
> 
> In addition, it's not really written for these characters to be compared, more so that it's written to show that while Peter means a lot to Tony, Harley holds his own significance to Stark too, ya'know?

 

There's nothing outstanding about Harley Keener.

Honestly. Peter's met him for less than four days when Summer starts, and Mister Stark's extended an invite for a private combat training at the new Avengers quarters, and Peter couldn't tell anything particularly extraordinary about the blond. The first time Peter met him? Harley joked that he was Mister Stark's long-lost son. Wrote Tony a letter about a year back, and out of guilt, Mister Stark has sponsored him a whole lab just for him to tinker and do as he pleased.

Needless to say, Peter believed him. 

It was kind of stupid how easily Peter's deceived now that he reflects on it, considering there were a lot of loopholes to the story. But then again, Harley _was_ gained special access to the quarters. He got free drinks at the small cafeteria whenever he just bat his bright, blue eyes at the staff, and Harley had called Mister Stark "Tony" so casually, and nobody even gave him a second glance about it. Oh! Not to mention the first time Peter saw him, he was mildly covered in grease with all sorts of junks being pulled apart and built all around his labs.

Harley was smart. Peter knows this when he takes a glimpse on his blueprints and Harley explained how he's _got_ _these ideas_ — levitating motorboats, cleaning robots, Iron Patriot and Iron Man suit improvements — and none of the engineering processes he's written down has made it impossible. 

But he's still not, you know, _anything special_.

Like, Harley isn't like, another Spider Man or anything like that. Or, at least, that's what Peter has gathered when he asks Mister Stark, not-so-discreetly one day. 

"The kid?" Mister Stark's brows are knitted together by the time Peter's done whispering horribly if Harley's another ' _intern just like him_ ' to confirm, and Peter feels strangely like a clueless child under his worn, billion-dollar gaze. But then again, it isn't really a new feeling: to experience the nauseating swirl of his stomach when he's surrounded by these people who have had more experience at being — _being_ _an_ _Avenger_ — than Peter ever did.  

"I - I mean! I just... I was wondering! But. Maybe that's stupid. You wouldn't really have let your own son to be bitten by a radioactive spider now, would you, Mister Stark?"

And then Mister Stark's face just goes _blank_.

Tony blinks, "I'm sorry, did you just say my 'own son'?"

And Peter immediately knows Harley's special in some secret-but-not-quite-so-secret-way the moment Tony just throws his head back and laugh instead of denying that they have no blood relation altogether.

 

 

 

It's not obvious.

But it's there. The way Harley stands out the same, but differently too, in Tony's eyes. 

At first Peter thinks it's the seniority. Harley is older — sixteen — and taller too. Taller than Tony, in fact, as he stands there, with his eyes furrowed together while he and Mister Stark tests one of their projects together to see if it can fly without being caught on fire. Harley is more open to defy Tony too, acts way more casual, and can pick apart Tony's wits and throws back the same shade without it being too serious until it turns into a fight. In fact Peter thinks Tony appreciates it, even amidst his glares and glowers and flat stares that he will give, because he will take everything Harley has, everything Harley has to offer, and actually considers them. So there's experience in their banter, like they've done this before a million times, or there's just something about them that _clicks_  together and it makes things easy for them to communicate.

But then again, Tony gives the same concentration and attention to Peter. Maybe even more, if any of his "hey kid, you're going to tell me if you hurt yourself in any way or I'm calling May" threats are any indication. Or it could be that Peter's whole superhero act just comes with that kind of authoritative territory. Mister Stark _would_ _be_ in a lot of trouble for injuring a minor, not just with the — police, but (specially) with Aunt May too.

All and all, it makes Peter wonders about their history.

Although that's hard to pry, with how Mister Stark and Harley's tendencies to avoid the subject. Which is - ridiculous. In all of their "he's not actually my dad/son" confession, they do act similarly to one another: always showing too much, but not revealing all that's there.

Peter knows Harley's from Tennessee, and that Mister Stark may or may not have met him there. He likes Aunt May, even if all he's known of Peter's aunt are from Peter's stories — and he has a sister. Sometimes him and Mister Stark talk about Dora the Explorer, snickers over it, and then blankly watch over some of the show FRIDAY's downloaded during their thirty minutes break.

Sometimes Harley mentions a JARVIS, gets real quiet about it, before telling Peter all about how he engineered the bots that's helped Spider Man when he split the ferry in half. Peter tries not to choke on the mention of Spider Man, lie about a half-ass project he's working on his own since he's pretending to be "another intern" and listens raptly to Harley's explanation of making the bots to work as they both finish their soda.

They both carry secrets, Peter guesses, and sometimes it's nice to pretend they're both the person they're lying about.

 

 

 

In the end, what makes Harley's special isn't what he is — it's what he _isn't_.

Peter supposes history plays a part, but not all. Because by the end of the day, while they're completely two different people, being invited to Tony's private quarters for completely two different reason, it's the fact that Harley _isn't_  some kind of secret masked hero that makes him stand out. 

Tony is at ease with Harley, while he's firm — but always on some edge — when he's dealing with Peter. Peter knows Tony cares, in his own way, and tries so desperately to do the right thing even if it's not really the right way to do it. And when he's with Harley, Peter can see Tony can forget that for just a little bit. Forget that he's worn and old and his shoulders too crooked from where he carried his guilt and regret, because to Harley — Tony doesn't _need_ to be some sort of mentor or a hero or a person riddled with unsolved mistakes. With Harley, Tony's just ... _a mechanic_ , or so that's what Harley would call Tony and laugh at sometimes.

With Harley, all Tony ever has to do ... is just _be there_.

It doesn't seem much, but it's - it's enough. For the both of them.

"Don't try to miss me so much, old man." Harley chuckles when he hugs Mister Stark, the private jet waiting, and Peter raises his brows when he sees the billionaire lays a hand back to clutch and pat the wide span of the sixteen year old's spine. Mister Stark laughs back, short and amused, but there's a sniffle when he manages a simple, "Don't burn down the garage. I don't think I can build you a new one so quick."

"I'll try my best." Harley hugs Tony tighter.

They say goodbye.

 

 

 

 **[From: Harley aka The Other Intern]**  The secret to hugging tony?

 **[From: Harley aka The Other Intern]**  Idk man, just do it, I guess?? lol

 **[From: Harley aka The Other Intern]**  He's like an old dog. They all enjoy hugs deep down

 **[From: Harley aka The Other Intern]**  Send me pics if anything cool happens

 **[From: Harley aka The Other Intern]**  Like if tony catches on fire lmao

 **[From: Harley aka The Other Intern]**  See you again next school break I guess. Can't wait. New York's awesome.

 

 

"Excuse him, I'm an _expensive_ old dog," Mister Stark comments when Peter shows him the text, scowling into the new improvement on his Iron Man suit with Harley's blueprint laying down next to him under the weight of a hammer and other tools.

Peter smiles, and marks his calendar to when Harley will most likely come over again.

It was a good summer.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: when I first began the draft for this one-shot, Peter sounded super gay for Harley. Anyway, thanks for reading and see y'all whenever!


End file.
